Why Indiana Fever Attendance Fall-Off Isn’t Quite What It Seems
Caitlin Clark was a late scratch before the Indiana Fever's 90-73 win over the Portland Fire on Wednesday. This certainly took some air out of the building for fans who had hoped to catch Clark in action, and it gave flashbacks to last season where her playing status was a constant topic of conversation.
The Fever are receiving scrutiny on the timing, as whether Clark is in uniform or not matters to a lot of paying customers and future attendance could suffer if this becomes a trend—particularly considering many may already have reservations after she only took the floor in 13 games last season.
However, the current conversations around the Fever's attendance fall-off have been exaggerated.
The WNBA's attendance stats for the year have been making the rounds online, with many pointing out that Indiana has seen a dip and is behind several other teams in home attendance.
We are witnessing the biggest FAFO bag fumble of all time by the Fever..... Wow. pic.twitter.com/3SpjsReCav
— Rhodes Rants (@rhodesrants) May 20, 2026
But this sample size is small and slightly misleading. Indiana currently ranks fifth in average home attendance according to Across the Timeline. And the number has fallen from where it was last year.
The thing worth pointing out though, is that aside from the Golden State Valkyries, all the team's ahead of the Fever have only played one home game—the home opener, which naturally could have higher attendance than other games across the season. While the Valkyries already led the league in home attendance last season, so that hasn't changed.
Also, the Fever's average attendance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse is only down about 1,000 fans from last season so far—a difference that can become irrelevant after one game. A single sell-out crowd would put the team right back in line with where it was in 2025. The 2024 numbers will be harder to attain given the phenomenon that Clark was as a rookie coming out of Iowa into the WNBA.
Fever Must Be More Transparent About Clark's Status
Just because the dip in spectators isn't alarming thus far, doesn't mean it won't become a more concerning trend.
The best way for Indiana to avoid this is to be more transparent about Clark, and every player's injury designation.
If fans lose trust and shell out money and time to attend a game with consistent doubt around Clark, that can erode enthusiasm. The good news is Clark has excelled while on the floor so far in 2026, and if that keeps up, crowd sizes will likely trickle back up.
But it would benefit the franchise not to repeat the circumstances around the Fire contest, because consumers want to know what they are committing to.
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Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his popular YouTube channel. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak On SI and Indiana Fever On SI!
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